Music
We take a Universalist view of our music, too…
Just as Unitarians and Universalists draw for inspiration upon texts from many traditions, so too it is with our music.
We strive to see that each week, as they step across the threshold, our members have no idea what kind of music they might hear in the service that day.
And we aspire to bring a special musical experience to the many visitors and travelers who come through our doors.
Music at Fourth U takes the following expressions:
The Fourth U Choir
Season: September through June; this volunteer adult choir sings at services once per month, including Easter Sunday, and a special service on Christmas Eve.
Schedule (2010-11): October 24, 2010
November 21, 2010
December 12, 2010
December 24, 2010 (Christmas Eve service 7 PM)
January 16, 2011
February 13, 2011
March 27, 2011
April 24, 2011 (Easter Sunday)
May 8, 2011 (Mother’s Day)
June 5, 2011
Rehearsals: Sunday mornings (September-June) 9:15-10:30 AM in the Music Room.
Occasional additional rehearsals are scheduled as needed and as schedules permit.
Membership: Open to members and non-members of the Fourth Universalist Society. No extended commitment is necessary. Many choir members sing with us for the occasional service cycle, as their availability allows. We welcome all comers — the only criteria are an ability to prepare and carry your own part and attend rehearsals during the cycle when you wish to sing on the service.
For more information, contact the Fourth U office or Music Director Gates Thomas.
Repertoire: The Fourth U Choir performs a mix of standard classical and contemporary choral repertoire (2-, 3- and 4-part) along with many original arrangements* of contemporary music. Composers featured in the 2010-11 season include:
*John Lennon & Paul McCartney
*Herbie Hancock
Antonín Dvořák
*George & Ira Gershwin
*Holland/Dozier/Holland/arr. W. Allen Wrede
André Thomas (text by Langston Hughes)
*Horace Silver
Bobby McFerrin
Arthur Frackenpohl
African-American Spiritual/arr. John Carter
William Steffe/Julia Ward Howe/arr. Peter Wilhousky
Hymns. For those who don’t feel ready to sing in a choir, weekly services open and close with congregational singing from the current standard UU hymnbooks: Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey. These sources contain contemporary as well as traditional hymns, and traditional lyrics have sometimes been altered to reflect UU principles.
Audio files for all of the songs in Singing the Journey can be heard here. While there are no online print editions of these sources, additional resources and links related to Singing the Living Tradition and other UU hymnals are available at the Music Resources page of the website of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Hymns are chosen by the Worship Arts staff to support the monthly themes, weekly readings, and sermon topics. Since most Fourth U members prefer their hymns with energy, we tend to gravitate toward brisk tempos.
Service Music is used liberally, with as many as 5-6 pieces on a given service. These pieces are usually shorter in length, mostly instrumental and predominantly piano; music is chosen to set a mood that works parallel or in contrast to the other elements of the service. Worship Arts staff meets regularly to plan music for services, and strives for balance and contrast of musical styles. Composers heard lately in our services:
Herbie Hancock
Carole King
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
Alberto Ginastera
Manuel Ponce
Bela Bartók
Thelonious Monk
Domenico Scarlatti
Gilberto Gil
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Duke Ellington
Astor Piazzolla
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Milton Nascimento
Franz Schubert
Laura Nyro
Maurice Ravel
Bill Evans
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Norah Jones
Samuel Barber
John Coltrane
Aaron Copland
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
Service music is provided several times a year by special guest artists. Past highlights have included presentations of Latin American and African music by frequent guest Tomas Rodriguez and AFARA, contemporary spirituals with Roosevelt Credit, and music for chamber choir presented by Vince Peterson and Choral Chameleon.
